2020 International Content Marketing Awards nominations

We have been shortlisted in the categories for Best Annual Always-On Content Strategy and Best Use of Monetised Content for Sainsbury's magazine, and Editor of the Year for Helena Lang.

In what has been a year like no other, one in which we have had to completely rethink, replan and recreate pretty much all our content, to be recognised in these categories alone is rewarding.

Our Sainsbury’s magazine team totally reset their strategy for the year once lockdown was announced. Encouraging readers to make a meringue tower for 12 just wasn’t going to cut it once supermarkets were closed and dinner parties firmly on hold. They combined print issues, created content for the website and social channels based on live, up-to-the-minute trends (cue fakeaways, home date-night dinners and stress-relieving recipes) and optimised SEO to ensure top organic search on Google. This resulted in the highest-ever number of site visits and an increase of 30% paid subscribers, ALL while continuing to drive multi-million pounds’ worth of advertising and copy sales revenue.

Helena Lang, after 10 years as Editor-in-Chief of Sainsbury’s magazine, expanded her remit to take on all our Health and Lifestyle clients. Not only running the biggest-selling food title on the newsstand, she also helped launch the first digital magazine for Vitality, a fully interactive online hub for members, containing blogs, videos, podcast, quizzes and more, plus WW Success Story videos. She adapted the team’s workflow processes to ensure that everyone could continue to collaborate creatively from home. And it worked.

The 2020 live, virtual ceremony takes place on Thursday 3 December, and winners will receive their award by post shortly after the event.